October 1, 2025

Who is around me and what are they doing? – Tom Givens

What are you capable of? – Ken Hackathorn

What’s the object of the exercise? – the Tactical Professor

What is the best use of my time right now? – Alan Lakein

METT-TC is a well developed structure for asking questions when developing plans for Personal Protection.

• Mission
• Enemy
• Terrain and Weather
• Troops and Support Available
• Time Available
• Civil (Legal and moral) Considerations

SALUTE is a good structure for gathering information in the moment.

• Size
• Activity
• Location (proximity)
• Unit
• Time
• Equipment

When we are children, we are constantly asking questions. As adults, we usually get in the habit of providing opinions, experiences, and self-promotion instead of asking question. Information gathering is a vital skill in Personal Protection. Putting ourselves back into the question asking mode requires a shift in our thinking patterns that requires practice.

My thanks to John Correia of Active Self Protection for stimulating my thinking about the topic.

My Patreon page is where I go into more depth on Personal Protection topics. https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor

Hello Pack, the fall chill has arrived here in my neck of the woods. I am not one to like it when the temperature gets below 80, but I loathe fall far less since moving onto your dream land. On the up side, our creek actually looks like a creek again and not dry – nor have we had any major flooding yet. We have not yet been reduced to using the hay we baled for our herds.

Source

Sandbags. One tool that is indispensable for dealing with rising water, be it from a river that has crested its banks or a biblical deluge that is turning a once dry suburb into a drowned wasteland. Sandbags are laborious to fill and take time to emplace, but there is little that can do what they do for preventing and mitigating damage caused by water. Everyone knows about that use of sandbags…

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Modern coffee tables are made with top materials today to bring durability, functionality, and aesthetic value to the home. Some of the materials used like wood, glass, marble, metal, stone, concrete, plastic, and much...

The post Modern Coffee Tables with Glass Tops and Trendy Designs For Your Home Decor appeared first on The Homestead Survival.

My trip through Germany started at Perl where I had already passed through on my previous European traverse. But this time all the supermarkets were closed … Next morning brought me to the famous Saar Bow, a 180 degree turn in the river – a spectacular view and therefore incredibly crowded with tourists. But as soon as I hiked on I was almost alone again in the forest – at least until arriving in Mettlach with the famous porcelain factory of Villeroy & Boch. I could not resist and visited the museum and showroom. Being an ultralight hiker I was at least not tempted to buy anything …

Camping turned into a bit of a problem that night
because the only small forest was located on a hill too steep for camping. And right on top were there was supposed to be a look out tower according to my map there was now cell phone tower with fences around the whole area. Luckily I found a flat spot right before sunset which was fairly quiet – until I realised that I was camped just a couple of hundred metres away from the church tower with the clock striking every quarter hour until 10 pm. And of course I was woken up in the morning with church bells as well. But the day took a very nice turn because my next rest day was coming up and I had been invited to stay with a fan of my books in Dillingen.

Getting there took me to Litermont mountain with a wonderful view. I could even see the smoke stacks of the steel works in the distance. Dillingen was not directly on my route and therefore I took the bus to get to my host. As she was working in the afternoon I used the spare time to visit an old steel work in Völklingen which had been turned into a UNESCO world heritage site. The area was huge and I could have spent an entire day there taking pictures, learning about steel making and seeing all the art and photography exhibitions. My host even picked me up by car. I did not see much of Dillingen because I was so happy to just lie in bed the entire day and use the internet!

Hiking on I realised that this was not exactly the most scenic part of Saarland. The trail was ok but I was always close to civilisation and continously trying to find a campsite that was out of earshot of the various motorways. One evening I was so happy to find a spot out of sight that it took my a while to figure out that I was trying to camp on top of an old bunker! It was impossible to get my tent pegs in because underneath a very thin layer of earth I hit concrete. It felt a bit bizarre to camp so close to a WW II site but I had no other choice – and I slept well.The Saar-Mosel-Weg even took me right through a university campus where I used the change to charge up my cell phone.

I must say that Saarland was a bit of a disappointment although I had probably just chosen the wrong trail that led my through a very populated area.

Like most of you, I want to be prepared and self-sufficient. I believe my safety is my responsibility. If you rely on someone else, chances are you will be disappointed. 

By J. Bridger, contributing author to SHTFblog and Survival Cache

I like knowing I can step into my vehicle and comfortably get by for a day or two with what I have stowed away. I have toyed with the concept of a truck gun. I like the idea but can’t stomach the thought of someone stealing it and committing a crime. When I have the funds to spend on securing a firearm in my vehicle and live in a less populated area, I will reconsider it. For now, it’s a bad idea for me. Here’s a look at what I keep in my truck/BOV in case I have an emergency away from home. 

In the cab:

Leather gloves

Blaze Defense fire extinguisher 

MTE M3-2I 1200 Lumen Flashlight

Trauma Kit, with spare CAT tourniquet in glove box

I never realized how often vehicles caught fire until I was on the fire department. We had a small stretch of the turnpike in our district, and we received weekly calls for vehicle fires. They were always a total loss. I’m probably biased because of this, but I don’t care. I keep a small BDS40 extinguisher from Blaze Defense Systems in the cab with me. The idea was if my truck caught fire, maybe I could knock it down just a hair so I could get my 10# extinguisher from the toolbox. If I didn’t catch it right away, I’d have no chance. It gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling I like so much.

Also Read: The Individual Trauma Kit/IFAK

The gloves and flashlight speak for themselves. They come in handy all the time. I really like the MTE flashlights. Greg McGee Engineering makes a hell of a product. They’re well made, bright, and aren’t priced sky high. If you need a no bullshit flashlight but don’t want to pay $300 for a name, check these guys out. I have two of their tough-as-nails 1,200 lumen lights. They have a low mode for changing tires, checking your oil, and close up work. They have a medium mode, and a high mode. The high mode throws a good beam, perfect for seeing what the dogs are barking at in the pasture in the middle of the night. They have a strobe and SOS setting, and you have the option of getting rechargeable batteries and a charger. 

In the toolbox:

6L MSR dram

10# Fire extinguisher (I got this for free, or I wouldn’t carry one)

Shovel 

Tow strap

Jumper cables

6×10 tarp

Cheap rope and good rope

Ratcheting straps 

Small tools: pliers, fuses, zip ties, screw drivers, bolt cutters. 

I keep an MSR 6 Liter dram in the tool box, since I call the desert home now. I’ve been glad I had it on several overnight trips where I misjudged how much water I would need. The 6L MSR dromedary bag is tough, and I like the different options you have on the cap. The tarp, cheap rope, and ratcheting straps I keep for securing loads of furniture, branches, or whatever else I happen to be moving. I keep jumper cables, tow strap, and a shovel to get me out of jams. I used to have a chain, but damn, it was heavy. The tow strap is longer, lighter, and is rated at a higher breaking strength (to my surprise). You should always have a spare tire and a decent jack. I wanted an off-road high-lift jack, but there didn’t seem to be any good lift points I could get to on my truck. A small gas can, and a quart of oil would be handy. I keep bolt cutters for obvious reasons. Next time you’re on a turnpike or interstate highway, look for an emergency path off the pavement. I bet you will find that you are fenced in. 

Listen! The Survival Cache Podcast – Flashlights

In the Get Home Bag: 

GoRuck Rucker

Therm-A-Rest Z-lite, Poncho liner, Hennessy tarp

2 pairs wool socks, Dragonwear beanie, Mechanix gloves

Compression Bandage, CAT TQ, H&H Z-fold gauze, moleskin

Morakniv, multitool

Nalgene, water tabs, Sawyer Mini water filter, steel cup, electrolyte tablets

Emergency food bar

Matches, SOL bivyy, paracord, signal mirror

Surefire, batteries

Spork, Bic lighter

Contractor bag

RSDL sponge, KI tablets, RAD dosimeter 

 

When I upgraded my hiking kit to lighter and better gear, a lot of it went here. The mindset for this bag is I may need to spend a night or two near my truck and take the Chevro-legs home. It’s not set up for super cold weather, but it’ll get me by in the springtime or early fall. I keep it in a GoRuck Rucker. There are better bags, certainly for the money. This bag was expensive as shit, but it’s tough and I like the size. It won’t go belly up on me when I need it. It fits perfectly behind a truck seat or under a plane seat. A light and warm sleeping pad, poncho liner, SOL bivvy, and tarp will keep me protected enough from the elements. Without a sleeping pad, the ground sucks the heat out of you. A contractor bag will keep my kit (or me!) dry in a rainstorm, should I be caught with my pants down. I have the tools I need to collect and treat water and enough calories to get me by. I’ve got the bare minimum medical equipment, and some moleskin to treat blisters. I come from a farming community with a lot of organophosphate use, so I pack an RSDL sponge. (You know the signs and symptoms of organophosphate or nerve gas poisoning, don’t you? It overwhelms your parasympathetic (Rest and Digest) nervous system. SLUDGEM: Salivation, Lacrimation (tearing), Urination, Defecation, GI distress, Emesis (Vomiting), and Miosis (pinpoint pupils)).  I keep KI tablets and a wallet dosimeter just in case Fukushima 2.0 happens. It’s cheap insurance.

 

I struggle to straddle the line between prepared and hopeful hoarding. I can’t stand clutter and extra crap I don’t use. This kit changes all the time. If you have any ideas or advice, let me know! What’s in your Vehicle EDC? 

I finally made it to Regina this past summer – the last of the Canadian cities for me to visit. Even though Regina is a prairie city, it’s green and lush thanks to 350,000 hand-planted trees. With truly fabulous restaurants, a passionate fan base for the Saskatchewan Roughriders football team and one of the largest urban parks in North America, I’d certainly recommend a visit.

Here’s what you can do in the city- 8 Awesome Things to do in Regina Right Now

Enjoy these 29 fun and interesting facts about Regina

1. Regina became the capital of Saskatchewan in 1905. 

2. Regina started off as a hunters’ camp in the 1880’s. Back when the buffalo still roamed the prairies it was called Pile O’Bones for all the bones left there after skinning and cutting buffalo.

3. Regina is the 16th largest city in Canada. The population of Regina as of July 1, 2018 was 257,337 people – according to Statistics Canada. Its growth rate is about 2.2%. Of that 14% are 65 years or older. Eighteen percent of the population is under 15 years of age.

4. Regina sits at an elevation of 577 metres above sea level. It’s mostly flat with a maximum elevation change of just 43 feet within 3.2 km of Regina.

5. Regina is the closest city to the centre of North America.

Business facts related to Regina

6. Of the top 500 corporations by revenue in Canada, five are headquartered in Regina. They include Crown Investments Corp. of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Worker’s Compensation Board, the Saskatchewan Auto Fund, Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation.

Weather in Regina

7. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Regina was 43.3°C on July 5, 1937.

8. Regina usually endures 201 days a year when the minimum temperature is at 0 °C or below. 

9. The length of the day in Regina is highly variable. On the summer solstice Regina gets 16 hours, 27 minutes of daylight. On the shortest day of the year it gets 8 hours of daylight. 

10. In Regina – and all of Saskatchewan daylight savings time is not observed.

11. The earliest sunrise is 4:46 AM on June 17th. The earliest sunset is 4:54 PM on December 12.

12. Canada’s deadliest tornado spinning at a speed of 400 km/hour occurred in Regina on June 30th, 1912. It killed 28 people and destroyed a lot of the town. In fact it took two solid years to make all the repairs but 40 years to pay it off.

RCMP Depot Division

13. Every last one of Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police have undergone a rigorous six-month training program at Regina’s RCMP Depot. They’ve been doing it in Regina since 1885. Take a tour to learn what it takes to become a Mountie.

14. Louis Riel was hanged for treason on November 16, 1885 at the North-West Mounted Police barracks in Regina. 

15. The longest running historical theatre production in North America – the Trial of Louis Riel is reenacted every summer in Regina by local performers. The play, written in 1967, is based on the original transcript from the trial of 1885. 

The not so great Regina History

16. The first Gay Pride Parade in Regina was held in 1990. You could still discriminate against somebody in Canada for their sexuality so parade participants covered their faces with masks to avoid detection.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

17. Regina is synonymous with football. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a good team but their fans, Rider Nation are tops. In fact of all Canadian sports teams including hockey, the Roughriders have the third highest merchandise sales. At a roughriders football game you can expect to see fans sporting real watermelon helmets and pilsner beer capes.

Wascana Centre

18. Regina’s Wascana Centre, built around Wascana Lake is huge, as in bigger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park and New York City’s Central Park combined.

19. Wascana Lake was created in 1883 by damming Wascana Creek.

20. In 1961, Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who designed the original World Trade Center in New York City, was commissioned to prepare a 100-year master plan for all of Wascana Centre.  

21. At the western edge of Wascana Lake look for Albert Street Memorial Bridge. It’s the longest bridge over the shortest span of water in the world. 

22. Wascana Park provides free grain to feed the birds. Head for the Waterfowl Display Ponds across from the Conexus Arts Centre. Feed Stella the swan along with huge numbers of Canada geese and ducks. You are encouraged to bring leafy greens for the birds but not bread as it isn’t good for them.

23. Wascana Lake beckons outdoorsy types. You can rent kayaks and SUP’s and explore the lake on one of Regina’s numerous sunny days.

The Saskatchewan Legislative Building

24. The beautiful Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina cost 1.75 million US dollars to build. It was built in the Beaux Art style over four years beginning in 1908. In 2005 the legislative building and its grounds were designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Tours focusing on the history and architecture of the building take place seven days a week. You can get more information here.

25. Thomas Walter Scott, whose statue is on the grounds, was the first premier of Saskatchewan with his term running from 1905-1916. 

25. The Queen Elizabeth II Gardens offer gorgeous flower displays during the spring and summer. Every year approximately 25,000 annuals are planted in the garden. The rest of the Legislature grounds aren’t forgotten. Another 5,000 flowers are planted throughout the grounds. It’s really a beautiful sight.

The Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina

26. I stayed at the lovely Hotel Saskatchewan on my visit but not in the bullet proof Royal Suite. Famous guests include Queen Elizabeth II, Paul McCartney, Bill Clinton and Jon Bon Jovi.

27. Every day at 5 PM in the well-appointed lobby bar in the Hotel Saskatchewan you can get a taste of what it was like to be naughty back in the time of American Prohibition. Listen for the bell followed by a toast. Then its shots of whiskey all-round. If you order their Prohibition Tea you’ll get a boozy drink that looks like tea served in a proper teacup like your grandmother had. 

Famous people from Regina

28. Some of the famous people from Regina include Erik Nielsen (lawyer and politician), Ralph Goodale (lawyer and politician), Jordan Eberle (NHL hockey all-star), Julia Voth (actress & model), Justin Warsylewicz )Olympic speed skating silver medalist), Lucas Markian Makowsky (Olympic speed skating gold medalist), Ryan Getzlaf (NHL hockey all-star), Ben Hebert (Olympic curling gold medalist), Atina Ford, Olympic curling gold medalist (born Oct. 12, 1971), Mark McMorris (X-Games snowboarding champion) and Leslie Nielsen (a Canadian- American actor).

Universities in Regina

29. The First Nations University of Canada, specializing in indigenous knowledge is located in Regina. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students alike can attend the university.

Other post-secondary institutions include the University of Regina, Graduate School of Public Policy University of Regina, Western Christian College, Campion College and the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Wascana.

Further reading on Canada and Saskatchewan

• 145 Weird, fun and interesting facts about Canada
• 12 Fun and Unique Places to Visit in Saskatchewan
• 25 Fun, Weird and Interesting Facts About Saskatoon
• 6 Fun Things to do in Saskatoon in Summer

Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.

 

The post 29 Fun and Interesting Facts about Regina appeared first on Hike Bike Travel.

Biolite contacted me to see if I’d check out some of their products and put the word out about their preparedness month kits (you did know September is Preparedness Month, didn’t you?).

You’re reading BioLite Preparedness Kits, originally posted at Graywolf Survival – Emergency preparedness from a Counterintelligence Agent by Graywolf.

Source: IAMAW

A Guest Blog Post by Jim Ausfahl

Disclaimer: This material has been modified
from the public domain US
Military field manual, FM 5-80.

As a reminder, the triangle bandage is a piece of cloth, often unbleached muslin, that is a right triangle with legs about 40″ (102 cm) long, and a hypotenuse, or long side, around 56.6″ (144 cm). It is folded on itself three times to make a cravat bandage. Remember: for all wounds, the first thing to do is to control the bleeding, clean and cover the wound with gauze padding, and if it is available, some antibiotic ointment. The bandage is used to lock the gauze in place. In looking at the bandaging below, it will be assumed that has already been done.  This time, we’ll be bandaging the head and its associated structures; some of these will require two cravats.

THE SCALP

Bandaging the scalp is only
modestly more challenging than what we’ve already done.  Begin by folding the long edge over itself
three times, about an inch or an inch and a half wide.  Having done that, drape the bandage over the
scalp, with the right angle going down the back of the neck and the middle of
the folded part over the forehead.  Bring
the two ends of the folded part behind the head and to the middle of the scalp.  To minimize the risk of this slipping up, put
the folded part under the occiput—that’s the bump you can feel on the back of
your skull.  Tie a square knot in the
middle of the forehead to anchor the bandage. 
Then, take the right angle and fold it up, tightening the part over the
scalp then tucking the end into the folded part. If possible, and pinning it in
place with a safety pin It is much clearer if you look at the diagram below

Clearly, this bandage not only will handle the scalp, it will do well for the forehead and the back of the head as well.

THE HEAD or EAR

There is an alternative approach
to bandaging the head, which would be used for the back of the head, the sides
of the head or the forehead or the ear. 
The bandage needs folded into a cravat. 
Depending on where the injury is, put the middle of the bandage on one
side of the head; if the injury is to the ear, put the middle of the bandage
over the injured ear.  Bring the ends of
the bandage around the other side of the head and back to the first side,
fixing it in place with a square knot.   
For bandaging the ear, the cravat should go up diagonally, to leave at
least one eye uncovered, then back to the bandage over the ear, where the
square knot is tied.  The diagram shows
the bandaging done for the head; adapting this to the ear is simple.

THE EYE

Sometimes there is need to
bandage an eye. Doing this requires two bandages, both folded into cravats.  Drape one cravat over the head, covering the good eye, so it hangs down the back of
the victim’s neck and down his face. 
Take the second cravat, wrapping around both eyes and over the first
cravat, tying it in the front, over the uninjured eye.  Finally, take the ends of the first cravat
and loop them over the head, tying them on the scalp so that the second cravat
is lifted off the good eye.  The figure below
will help this all make sense.

THE CHEEK or JAW

Sometimes, there is need to
bandage a cheek, the area below the chin, a small area on top of the scalp or a
need to immobilize a jaw temporarily, as might be for a fracture of the jaw or
a dislocation of the jaw.  A single
bandage, fold into a cravat, is needed. 
Position the cravat under the jaw, with the more distant part of the
cravat a few inches longer than the near one. 
Bring the far side across the top of the head to the temple of the near
side, then twist them around each other a quarter turn, so the two sides are
horizontal, one pointing forward and the other backward.  At this point, the two free ends should be
about the same length.  Take the ends
around the victim’s head and knot them on the other side.  The process is illustrated clearly in the
figure below.

The next posting will handle bandaging the chest, hip, buttock and shoulder.

Jim Ausfahl is a physician in active medical practice, in Peoria Heights, Illinois, studying the art of surviving in a challenging environment and sharing what he knows.